WREXHAM'S Youth Parliament will be focusing on protecting the environment.

The Senedd Yr Ifanc, who work with young people aged between 11 and 25 on local and national issues, has been working on their priority of 'our environment' following a vote last year by young people across the County Borough.

The Senedd’s next step was to find out which area of our environment they should work on and identified six areas where climate change can be reduced:

- Protecting nature (ensuring the long term survival of green spaces and national parks, discouraging the use of pesticides and exploring river management).

- Recycling (ensuring plastic metal, glass, paper and food are recycled correctly and encouraging the purchase of reusable products).

- Transport (reducing the use of petrol and diesel vehicles, encouraging the use of public transport, car sharing, cycling and walking - in guidance with Government Covid-19 advice).

- Housing and buildings (encouraging Wrexham Council to ensure their buildings are energy sufficient, as well as promoting and reducing carbon footprints).

- Sources of food (encouraging consumption of locally grown produce whilst showing global benefits).

- Energy sources (exploring alternative and renewable possibilities of energy sources such as nuclear power or wind power to reduce the use of fossil fuels).

Protecting nature came out on top and young people across Wrexham will now be asked which area under ‘protecting nature’ they want to work on.

Their poll will be available at the beginning of October which will ask for votes on green spaces, tree and wild flower planting, river management, crops and pesticides, preserving life, cleaning up and conserving nature.

Cllr David Bithell, lead member for environment and transport, said: "Young people are very aware of their environment and as it’s such a wide ranging topic concentrating on just one is a very sensible way forward.

"By giving it all their attention they’re likely to see results and I look forward to seeing how they will be doing this in the coming months and how it will complement the work we will be doing since the we declared a climate emergency last year."

Alex Pengelly, vice chair of the Senedd Yr Ifanc, added: "Protecting nature is a really important issue that we should all care about.

"There’s lots we can do to help and I know that young people across Wrexham will all be willing to support the Senedd Yr Ifanc with this work.

"Its everyone’s responsibility to protect nature."